Why ‘Namor The Sub-Mariner’ Won’t Get A Standalone Movie Anytime Soon

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige indicates that there’s still some red tape regarding the character of Namor McKenzie that would prevent him from having his own standalone franchise. However, it seems like the Sub-Mariner could still appear in another character’s movie.

Universal holds the distribution rights for the likes of Namor and Hulk, meaning that Marvel Studios cannot make standalone movies starring the characters without their explicit approval (which is why there has been no indication whatsoever that another Hulk movie will happen anytime soon). While there have been comments indicating that Universal’s grip on the rights of Namor have loosened enough that Marvel can use the character in other characters’ films, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently reiterated to IGN that we won’t be seeing a full-scale Sub-Mariner in the near future.

IGN: With the Disney/Fox deal, if that pans out, with the Sony rights sharing deal with Spidey, the one big loose end, then, is Namor and Universal. Can you tell us what the status of that is? Is there any chance for him to just pop up in an MCU film? It just sounds like an incredibly complicated situation, for one character.

Kevin Feige: It is. I think there’s a way to probably figure it out but it does have — it’s not as a clean or clear as the majority of the other characters.

Namor and the character’s mythology has been alluded to in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as far back as an Easter Egg in the background of Iron Man 2, but he has yet to make his debut. Given the character’s notorious rivalry with Black Panther, it seems like Namor would work well as a central antagonist for one of the inevitable sequels to that film. In the meantime, DC’s Aquaman should scratch fans’ itches this December if they want their fix of underwater superhero action.

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.

The currently-untitled Avengers 4 features a cast made up of many of the key players in Infinity War — alongside newcomers like Brie Larson and Evangeline Lilly — and is scheduled to hit theaters on May 3, 2019.

20 Marvel Movies That Could Be Made After Disney’s Fox Acquisition

So the impossible has happened: Fox and Disney have recently agreed to a major deal, one which means that — aside from a few limitations with the Hulk and Spider-Man, who have their rights wrapped up with Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures — every major Marvel property will soon be able to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the plans for the remainder of Phase 3 likely won’t change that much, barring possible post-credits scenes showing major cameos being added on short notice, this development certainly gives Marvel an embarrassment of riches to work with for future film adaptations.